Project Description

Doig+Smith were part of the team who delivered the new South Glasgow University Hospital project on the site of the existing Southern General Hospital. The project was completed on time and within budget. The project delivered a new 1,109 bed acute adult hospital, a 256 bed children's hospital, support accommodation and associated landscaping and infrastructure works. The facilities, spanning 170,000m², centralises services provided by three existing hospitals and forms one of the largest University hospitals in Europe.

The project delivered a new 1,109 bed acute adult hospital, a 256 bed children's hospital, support accommodation and associated landscaping and infrastructure works.

Our Role / Scope

On this project we undertook the following services:

Cost Planning

Value Management

Value Engineering

Risk Management

Whole Life Costing

Commercial Design Management

Procurement

NEC3 Procurement & Contractual Advice

Actual Cost Auditing

Post Contract Quantity Surveying services

Technical Capacity

The team comprised of the following:

2 Project Directors;

2 Associates;

1 Senior Surveyor; and

2 Surveyors

Benefits To Client

Commercial Design Management: On a project of this scale robust cost management is essential. We worked closely with the Client and Design Team to establish an overall cost model and fixed budgets which we then used to control and monitor the design. We worked closely with the Design Team and Design Manager to manage the design within the budget whilst allowing the designers to express themselves. Through our pro-active cost control we allowed design innovation and design freedom whilst managing the costs within the fixed budget. This focussed the team and continually linked the design and cost. An example of this was managing the design and cost for the envelope to ensure that planning permission was obtained within the budget.

Innovative Design/Value Management: Working in collaboration with the Designers we advised on innovative solutions that saved both time and cost such as:

use of a dewatering system to lower the water table and allow for open cut excavation – £1m saving

change to design of area of low level roof to provide a simplified interface - £500k saving

NEC3 Processes: We worked closely with the Client’s data management provider to develop an NEC3 compliant change control system within their extranet system. This allowed the team to utilise an EWN and CEN system that complied with the strict process required by the contract. Doig+Smith also advised on the operation of the Option C contract. We advised on optimisation of the pain/gain share and set a target cost within the overall project target to ensure that the budget was protected.

Sustainability: We advised on the cost impact of the use of recycled and sustainable materials to meet BREEAM requirements and project sustainability targets. We reviewed and advised on the use of PFA, recycled material for fill, recycled material for partitions and sustainable energy technologies. We also undertook whole life costing including component level analysis which informed the overall material selection ensuring that the solution with the lowest overall whole life cost was selected.

Project Specific Costs: As this project was within an existing, live campus there were numerous project specific factors that had to be considered. It was important that the cost plan identified and accurately reflected the project specific requirements to allow us to manage and minimise their impact. These items can have a significant implication on project cost and programme when working within live environments. These included interfaces with existing operational facilities, maintaining the emergency vehicle access and restricting noise. We ensured that these items were captured within the cost plan and therefore managed their impact on the project and budget.

Collaboration: The success of this innovative project was reliant on a partnering and collaborative approach. Through using the NEC3 Option C contract we worked with the users, contractor and NHS to ensure that the best design and construction solutions were developed for everyone’s gain. An example of this was the use of a dewatering system to make programme and cost savings. The form of contract allowed the team to work together to solve issues before they became problems.

Change Control: Change control of the design stage is imperative on a project of this size to ensure that costs are managed. It is also vital to allow the Client to make informed decisions to maximise the budget. Due to the scale of this project the design was still developing through the build stage. We managed the pre and post contract change to ensure that the design and costs were controlled within the budget.

Project Involvement

Tom Allan

Equity Director

Glasgow

London

Tom’s professional experience spans across most sectors of the construction industry with more than 40 years of service mainly with Doig+Smith both in Scotland and London. Tom was responsible for setting up our London office and has helped to develop our Client base in London over a 15 year period. He provides advice on methods…

Gill Kirkness

Equity Director

Glasgow

Gill is the Director responsible for Cost Management in the Glasgow office. Gill has responsibility for the commercial management of projects for a wide range of clients and her sector experience is comprehensive including offices, education, laboratories, healthcare, rail, industrial and airports. Gill has particular expertise in strategic procurement selection, risk and value engineering, change…

Alan Hogg

Associate

Edinburgh

Alan is based in the Edinburgh Office and is responsible for ensuring the highly motivated staff deliver Doig+Smith’s processes and that the Doig+Smith ethos is imbued throughout the premium professional services provided. Alan has over 25 years of experience in the construction industry across all market sectors. His experience extends to large multi-million pound projects…